15 April 2015

Jamboree 2015 - Research Assistance Sign-up is launched!

Guest post by Jean Hibben, PhD, MA, CG

To our valued volunteers:

We're looking for volunteers who know a little more than someone else! Well, about genealogy, that is. Are you one who has created your own pedigree chart; worked some with Ancestry, FamilySearch, Fold3, or other websites? Then your assistance is needed in the Research Assistance Room on the Tech Hallway. Sign up, include your expertise ("beginning" is fine, so is "translating German records" or whatever, as applicable!).

Time slots are at 30-minute intervals, but we are asking that you keep your consulting time to 20 minutes to allow for folks to move in and out of the consultation area. You are welcome to bring your laptop (we should have WiFi access).

There is room for two assistants for each time slot. But we will also have a walk-in option so if you want to help but don't want to commit yourself to a particular time at this moment, just come to the RA room when you have time and there is a good chance there will be some walk-in "clients" just waiting for your genealogy knowledge.

(Note: if you are able to assist in other ways, we welcome your help! Contact me at jean@circlemending.org)

To our Jamboree attendees, seeking help ("clients"):

Getting help with one's brick walls is more than just using a stick of dynamite - you need to know what kind of dynamite to use! And that is what Research Assistance at Jamboree provides: Custom-made dynamite!

Your ancestors came from Italy, but you aren't sure where, what types of documents can be found, what repositories or on-line services can help. Get your custom-made explosive from a research assistant who specializes in Italian or Italian-American ancestry. Sure, talking to someone who knows about research in Mexico might give you some answers, but wouldn't it be great to get answers geared to your particular problem?

Are you a beginner and don't know where to start? We've all been there! Many of our assistants are ready, willing, and able to get you chipping at your brick walls with smaller, more delicate tools (as opposed to just blowing the whole thing up) and will assist also by defining some of the terms many of us use without considering the knowledge level of our "client." Here is a place where you are free to ask what some might consider "stupid questions" (of which, we know, there are none).

As with everything, there are some rules, so, when signing up, please read the instructions. We don't permit anyone to get help from the same assistant during two consecutive time slots (we want fairness for all, remember).

To everyone:
Research Assistance is successful ONLY when it is used by both Assistants and Clients. Come use us!